Medical journal retracts vaccine-autism article

The international medical journal Lancet on Tuesday officially retracted a widely cited study that suggested the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism.

The retraction comes 12 years after the research was initially published.

The original study, conducted by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, had a sample size of only 12 children, among other flaws, the journal's editors said.

"It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation," Lancet editors said in a statement issued Tuesday.

Numerous studies conducted since have found no causal link between vaccines and the complex neurobiological disorder, but the idea that the two are connected persists.

Public health officials, including those in Arizona, say the purported link between autism and vaccines led to a sharp drop in vaccination rates and an uptick in measles cases in both the U.S. and Britain. Measles had been mostly eradicated in the U.S. after an aggressive vaccination campaign that began in the 1970s.

"It just goes to show you how one poorly done study can cause so much damage," said Will Humble, interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. "When you have the New England Journal of Medicine or Lancet behind your article, it should mean something."

Arizona has grappled with two measles outbreaks in recent years. The more severe, which occurred in 2008, spread after an unvaccinated child who was contagious with the disease traveled from Switzerland to Arizona.

Measles was ultimately confirmed in 13 other individuals in Arizona; some were children whose parents had declined to get them vaccinated.

State and county health officials spent $400,000 administering 9,000-plus immunizations and evaluating more than 500 suspect cases before finally announcing that they had contained the outbreak.

Tuesday's retraction of Wakefield's original research comes less than a week after a British panel concluded the physician had provided false information in his report and acted with "callous disregard" for the children in the study, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Wakefield, who now practices in Austin, said the accusations against him were "unfounded" and "unjust," the Times report said.

Meanwhile, researchers are still searching for clues as to what exactly has caused the autism epidemic. In a new federal report issued in December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the prevalence of autism nationally increased by 57 percent between 2002 and 2006.

Maricopa County children have seen some of the most significant rate increases, with autism diagnoses increasing 95 percent during that period.

Autism, a neurobiological disorder that impairs a person's ability to communicate with and relate to others, is now considered an "urgent public health concern," according to the CDC.

Researchers believe that environmental, biologic and genetic factors may play a role.

Humble said it's likely that the damage done by the original article will persist for some time.

"Unfortunately, it's gotten into popular culture that vaccinations are associated with autism," he said.